Starting Memorial Day, May 31, 2010, through Labor Day, September 6, 2010 over 700 MuseumsÂ will offer free admission to active military personnel and their families. This list organized by the National Endowment for the Arts & Â Blue Star Families (a non-partisan, non-profit organization, created by military families for military families)Â includes The Met, The MOMA, The Whitney, The Guggenheim, not to mention Chicago’s Art Institute & MCA. The complete museum list broken down by state can be found here.

This is a wonderful program that is both good politics, good business & good karma. I would love to see the Art Institute & MCA get together and lead the way by extending it to not only the summer but year round and for as long as America is at war. OurÂ museumsÂ in all 50 states have a sum collection of history and culture that isÂ unrivaledÂ throughout the world. A treasure that every militaryÂ personnelÂ should be welcomed andÂ encouragedÂ to see with open arms.

Chicago is the city ofÂ tomorrow, lets have Chicago lead the way.

UPDATE: After speaking with Erin Hogan Director of PublicÂ AffairsÂ with the Art Institute to clarify what the difference/change was in ongoing policy she explained that the established policy was active military were free but with Blue Star for the summer families of active military would be free as well. Also the website would be updated to better reflect this policy.

*”I spent a year asking why the contemporary art bubble was the biggest, bubbliest bubble of them all”:Â Ben Lewis’ The Great Contemporary Art Bubble preview clip on YouTube ( ART21’s Ben Street has a funny post on the film too).